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Ciriaco giving Red Sox patience with Iglesias

Ciriaco giving Red Sox patience with Iglesias

NEW YORK -- A scorching August for Triple-A Pawtucket shortstop Jose Iglesias doesn't mean he's making it back to the Red Sox immediately come Sept. 1, when rosters expand.

The presence of Mike Aviles and Yankees killer Pedro Ciriaco leave little big league playing time for Iglesias, who's 22. In 89 games with Pawtucket this season, Iglesias is hitting .269, including .348 in August.

"I'm not sure," general manager Ben Cherington said of an Iglesias callup. "We're getting good shortstop production from the guys that we have. Iglesias is an important part of our future, and we may see him later this year."

Iglesias went 3-for-3 on Sunday in a 4-1 win over Buffalo and is hitting .361 in his last 10 games. He's a fantastic defensive player whom the Red Sox wanted to see more from offensively.

"His at-bats have really been improved all year," Cherington said. "His performance has ticked up certainly in the last few weeks or so, but we've seen a better approach consistently all year. ... He started getting into real contact mode last year, where he was looking to just put the ball in play. This year, he's looking for his pitch and driving it a little bit more. Even when they aren't extra-base hits, he's just hitting the ball hard and getting on base more. It's a very good step and a good overall year for him."

As for Ciriaco, who came into Sunday hitting .343 after a four-hit effort in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Yankees, "he's certainly opened our eyes," Cherington said.

"He's a great story," Cherington added. "Great, great kid. He's been in a couple different organizations now and always had a reputation as a really good teammate, a high-energy guy. He's not had a great opportunity at the big league level yet -- hasn't had a chance to play a lot. But when Eddy Romero, our international director, saw him play in a Winter League game, that led to signing him.

"He's been a big, big part for us. I wouldn't want to put any limitation on him moving forward. We don't know what he's going to be, but he's doing well right now, and it's great to see."